NHSE projects 500k robotic assisted operations a year by 2035

Half a million operations will be supported by robotic surgery every year by 2035, up from 70,000 in 2023/24, according to projections from NHS England.

In a press release, NHSE said that nine in 10 keyhole surgeries, such as the removal of certain organs affected by cancer, will be delivered with robot assistance within the next 10 years, up from one in five today, with robotic surgery being the default for many operations.

It adds that increasing numbers of emergency operations are expected to use the technology, which can be more precise than the human hand.

Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHSE, said: “The NHS has pledged to return to shorter elective waiting times by 2029, and we are using every tool at our disposal to ensure patients get the best possible treatment.

“Expanding the use of new and exciting tech such as robotic surgery will play a huge part in this.

“Not only does it speed up the number of procedures the NHS can do, but it also means better outcomes, a faster recovery and shorter hospital stays for patients.”

In May 2025, NHSE published its first national guidance on how robotic programmes should be delivered.

Compared to traditional keyhole surgery, robotic surgery allows greater dexterity and is easier to manipulate as the instruments are controlled by a surgeon at a console using a 3D camera.

In April this year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved the use of 11 robotic surgery systems in the NHS for patients undergoing soft tissue and orthopaedic procedures.

Five systems for soft tissue procedures, such as hernia repair, removal of tumours, and gallbladder removal, and six for orthopaedic surgery, such as full and partial knee replacement procedures and hip replacements have received conditional approval from NICE while they undergo further evaluation.

John McGrath, consultant surgeon at North Bristol NHS Trust and chair of the NHSE Steering Committee for Robotic Assisted Surgery, said: “Robot-assisted surgery is a perfect example of innovation improving patients’ care and transforming the way the NHS works – the number of procedures being carried is set to rapidly grow over the next 10 years according to our analysis.

“As keyhole surgery continues to develop and scale up in the NHS, it is likely that many of these procedures will be provided with degrees of robot assistance in the future – importantly as the costs come down and efficient patient pathways are embedded in robotic programmes.

“Robot-assisted surgery can also make complex operations less physically demanding for surgeons, with the potential to reduce strain on surgical teams, allowing a greater number of complex surgeries to be carried out each day.

“The approval of 11 systems by NICE was a milestone in the continuing development of this technology and our newly published national strategy will help ensure patients across the country are able to access this treatment when they need it, regardless of location.”

In April 2025, Cromwell Hospital in London announced that it had successfully performed gynaecology and Hepato Pancreato Biliary operations using the robotic-assisted surgical system, da Vinci Single Port.